Perpetuation
by theowlinsomniac
Summary: (Highschool AU - yeah I know, gross) Annie knows quite well that when her teacher assigns her a tutor she's going to be in for a lot of work, but nothing would ever prepare her for the boy who steps in to change her math grade and ends up changing her life. -Aruani with hints of other ships but none canonical here- T for later chapters-
1. Chapter One

She checked her phone's lock screen. He was fifteen minutes late.

Several days earlier Annie had stood, angry and embarrassed, in front of her math teacher's desk holding a tutor recommendation card. She was told he'd be prompt, he was the class president after all (even though Annie had never actually heard of him) and that he was well above all the other classes in mathematics skill level and it would be no problem for him to help her out.

She rolled her eyes and wiped her face. She was still sweating from after practice. Laying her head on the library table she listened to the snores of the librarian and the sounds of human life around her. Not that she was particularly interested in the couple making out behind the non-fiction or the wheezing asthmatic who was getting excited from the latest famous novel, which Annie also didn't know the name of. She didn't particularly like to read. Maybe that's why her literature grades were so poor. Along with her history grades. And her math grades. _Especially_ her math grades.

She closed her eyes. Maybe she should call him. She shook her head. Did nerds text?

Her phone slipped from the front pocket of her jacket and into her hand and she scrolled down to the newest contact to view their last conversation.

Hello, my name is Annie Leonhardt and I am in need of a tutor.

My teacher recommended you...

What grade are you in and what subject?

Oh, I'm Armin Arlert by the way. We can study any time after 4:15pm

I'm a senior and math. Can we meet at the library after soccer practice?

See you then.

She cringed. Practice had sucked that day. She'd missed nearly every goal while Mikasa had gotten every one. Annie sighed and began to type.

Are you here?

She locked her phone and pushed her hand under her chin. She'd wait another five minutes and if he didn't show up it wasn't worth it. Just as her eyes began to close for a second time, she heard a shuffling noise and an out of breath voice flying at her rather loudly in their present setting.

"I'm so sorry I'm late!" She looked up.

Taller, long blond hair, cute nose, bright blue eyes, weird dress shirt, flushed face, funny eyebrows. She frowned (like always.) Annie stood, pulling back a chair for him and extending her arm, watching him drop the books in his arms and set his backpack down next to hers. He nodded and shook her hand. She noticed his sweaty palms and held back an unamused face.

When he sat, she found herself unusually interested in him. He seemed to be anxious, uptight, scared. She sat beside him, pulling her binder from her bag.

"Don't worry about it," she said in a monotone manner. He smiled at her, face turning slightly red. She wanted to ask why but was interrupted by his quick words.

"Okay, so you're taking algebra three, which is a general required course and is the bottom level for a senior. Your teacher told me you were studying trigonometry at the moment but you haven't turned in assignments so I'm guessing you don't understand it," he paused, flipping through papers and pulling out a sheet filled with numbers, "I took the liberty to look at your math grade online, but I accidentally looked at all of your grades so I think maybe we should start with math and then move on to other subjects once you get the hang of-"

"You what?" Annie stopped him with a forceful command. His face was still red.

"I saw your grades."

She slowly sat back in her chair with a scowl, sizing him up and glaring into his eyes once she'd seen what she wanted to of him. She saw him swallow.

"Look, I-I'm sorry, I just needed to get a handle on what I needed to help you with," he said almost pleading.

"Don't worry about it." she said, moving her eyes from him to the paper in his hands. "Now what are we going to start on? I have martial arts at seven, and you were extremely late."

Relief seemed to wash over him by the relaxation of his shoulders and he shifted the paper towards her.

She checked her watch again before six thirty. They'd been talking quietly about something Annie'd heard about in class but never really paid attention to. She noticed that her new tutor seemed incredibly familiar but ignored her thoughts long enough to finish a worksheet and ask a few questions.

As soon as they'd both agreed to leave, she remembered.

"You're friends with Ackerman, right?" she asked, slinging her bag over her shoulder with a quirked brow. He turned with a surprised face.

"Mikasa?"

Annie blinked and then nodded. Perhaps she should act as if they were friends and not rivals. (and they weren't rivals... their enemy-ship was completely one-sided on Annie's part; she'd never admit to it though, especially if this guy was her friend)

He nodded, sweeping the papers into his hands and glancing back up at her. His face flared red when they're eyes latched onto each others'. Annie's brows furrowed in confusion.

"I thought I recognized you... You and, uh... Eren, yeah, hang out, right?" she asked, knowing for certain that this was correct but allowing him to answer her first. She'd often seen the three of them together after practice, and maybe that was why Armin was late. The thought caused a bitter taste in her mouth, but what reason was there for her to be jealous?

"Yeah," his eyes seemed to light up, "yeah we do sometimes." he swallowed and glanced down. "Well I hope I helped you, erm... when do you want to meet again? We can meet any day you need assistance-"

"How about tomorrow after practice. Like today, but this time you'll be on time." she said cooly, glancing at the time again with impatience. She held back a smirk as he squirmed in embarrassment.

"Alright that's fine. Just text me if you change your mind or something comes up." he replied, turning to walk away with a last wave of the hand.

Before he had completely disappeared into the dim hallways of the shelves she called out to him.

"Hey!" she stepped back, shocked by her own reaction. He turned, something like hope in his eyes. "Thanks." she said quietly, nodding her head in a gesture of appreciation. He smiled back at her, his cheeks bright red and nose to match.

As he finally left she sat down again, closing her eyes and rolling her head back to hang off her neck limply. She sighed loudly, crossing her arms and biting her lip. She felt something in her stomach that she'd never felt before, and glancing back towards the empty space he'd taken up several moments ago did not help to heal it, but it intensified.

She groaned, grabbed her backpack once more, and trudged out of the building, not acknowledging the librarian and keeping her pace into the evening air.

She tried not to think about him during her fighting. Watchful eyes saw her agitation and corrected her stance. She bit back a retort and kicked the air again. Higher. Higher.

When she reached her limit she spread her legs and touched her toes, sliding off her hand wraps and glancing up at the clock. A loud voice was telling her it wasn't time to quit yet. Annie felt her heart shift inside her chest, the churning bubbly feeling from the library slipping into a swamp of indignation. She rolled her eyes and kept her stances going, punching numbers and vocabulary away with the flick of a wrist, and blurring the faces of the day with the heel of her foot.

Maybe tomorrow would be better.

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**A/N: The website screwed with my layout for the texts so if you want to view it by it's original set up visit my tumblr in my aruani tag. You may have to scroll down a bit, hehe. **

**Please feel free to add any feedback. I don't usually edit (TERRIBLE IDEA EW NO STAHP) so typos are random and (possibly) frequent so I'm sorry in advance. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter Two

It was true that Annie had no friends. The occasional prank or party with Bertholdt and Reiner didn't count in her eyes, but perhaps it did to them. She never really stood around long enough to find out.

She didn't much care for social gatherings or the norms of high school. Getting wasted beyond belief was not on her list of things to do nor was the hottest jock on the football team. But what she did care for was fighting, and to be quite honest she was very, very good at it.

It wasn't a secret that she took classes after school. Her father owned the property where the center was built so of course her training would be free and the dojo would be her home.

She didn't like being yelled at or watched, but watching herself practice (watching the sweat on her face, the falling blonde hair glued to her neck, the icy look in her eyes, the curve of her muscles as they tightened and pulled) and the pride in her own eyes as well as her father's was able to satisfy her enough to get to school the next day.

But something else could be added to the list of things that stole her attention. Soccer was in her other palm. She was the star player. Of course she had bad days but an overwhelming amount of time was spent perfecting and reworking her own signature moves and knocking all the other players out of their socks at how well she played. She was respected and looked up to (not that other opinions mattered anyways) by everyone except one player. Mikasa Ackerman.

Annie often caught herself calling the girl foul names under her breath but no one ever heard. Mikasa was always showing off just how good she was too, and that if she wanted she could be better than the star. Annie didn't like this.

Annie also didn't like that her new tutor (and potential friend, if she would make up her mind already) was best friends with her.

Armin's interests were similar to Annie's. No, he didn't like soccer or fighting, but his eyes only saw a few things, and he was a prodigy.

Any school subject could be mastered in an amount of several weeks, any topic or group of words memorized in a day or two. And he really, really, really loved reading. So much so that he'd get into trouble by the teachers that caught him reading during lectures. He liked anything. Mostly fiction, things outside of the world he lived in. He was curious but not consumed.

He was clever but humble.

And he liked that. He was one of the few remarkable people who liked themselves, and he was okay with that. Okay with being looked down on by the more popular students. Okay with having responsibilities as the class president. Okay with only having two friends who really cared and tutoring a girl who scared him but oddly turned him on. (was that even what that felt like? did he have a crush on the blonde flunking girl with those beautiful, intense blue eyes?)

They'd been sitting for two hours, Annie furiously reading through a stack of math work pages trying hopelessly to understand what her teacher had meant by "change it to the reciprocal" and "the denominator was wrong here" and "you use cosign not tangent."

She wanted to focus, she really did, but her eyes were not on her papers like they should have been. They were watching her tutor shift to make himself comfortable, leaning against the table with an elbow and chin, his eyes grazing the lines of a purple and gold book.

She frowned. Maybe not at the moment but she recognized the churning in her stomach as jealousy, and yearning for his eyes to be on her and not the characters in the novel. She swallowed and her eyes widened as something clicked in her mind. She scribbled down some notes and slid the papers away from her, crossing her arms and staring expectantly at him. He refused to return the gesture, not that he'd seen it. He'd been too consumed in his book.

She blinked and closed her eyes, resting her forehead on her crossed arms and sighing heavily. He didn't budge.

"Armin, I was wondering what you do after school that makes you late for our sessions." she said plainly, keeping her head down. Her eyes moved anyways as the sound of his sighs and blush made her stomach hurt even worse.

"Uh, well, I er..." he chuckled softly, and she heard the cloth on his body rustle. He shrugged. "I'm usually reading or waiting in line at the vending machine."

She almost laughed. Her head raised and she propped her chin up on her arms, looking towards him.

"What do you get?"

"Cookies." he said quickly, eyes wide in surprise at the quickness of his reaction. His face got even redder.

She smirked. "My favorite." she replied, rolling her head over onto its side so she laid on her cheek.

"C-can I ask you something?" he stuttered, the pages flipping between his fingers. His eyes moved from her to the book and she nodded.

"Yeah, go ahead."

She figured it had been three weeks or so since they started talking. Maybe it was time they got a little closer. After all, why shouldn't she? She had nothing to lose anyways. Maybe it was time to let people be kind to her, be kind to people. Talk for once instead of hear and ignore.

"Why do you always wear that sweatshirt?" he asked with a slight laugh. She glanced down at the grey hoodie and added a shrug, an almost-smile breaking her cheeks.

"I always have. It's comfy. You should get one." she looked back at him and saw his smile was gone, replaced with something else. A shadow of affection.

"Smile more," he breathed, "it suits you." Her eyebrows raised and instantly he was in shock, arms flailing and mouth wide to match his saucer pan eyes. "Wait- I meant- no, no I didn't mean to say that like that I was just trying to say that I like- wait no not that either, just-"

Annie's hands reached down as he scrambled for an answer, feeling her cheeks get hot and hands begin to sweat. (why was she so weak? how had he already broken her walls. don't let him in anymore. don't let him in.)

She grabbed her bag and stood and suddenly he was quiet, entire face pink and embarrassed.

"Don't be sorry. I like your smile too." she replied nonchalantly, glancing at her phone to see that she was already late to her martial arts. Her wrists began to ache as she walked away. "I have extra workouts after school all week this week, so maybe next week we'll work on literature and I'll try to ace my math test on Monday."

She didn't look to see him nod and sit without a word. She continued out and into the night, seeing it had already gotten dark, glad that no one could see the look of despair as she began to sprint to the dojo.

He held her wrists and pulled her close. She didn't struggle. He screamed at her, telling her her priorities were all askew and that she was useless. Worthless. Stupid.

She didn't scream back.

She didn't fight him.

When he let go she had bruises and she fought even harder against the air. She watched the mirror even closer, noticing everything about the movements and reactions. She watched what she fought against. An ancient enemy that was unpredictable and as scary as the demon inside her father.

Herself.

* * *

**A/N: It got a bit dark here, but you'll see once the plot gets kicked in. Nothing else to add. Some characters get mentioned and they will be brought up later in the story. :)**

**Reviews are lovely, thanks! **


	3. Chapter Three

It hurt to kick the ball. The shin splints she was suffering were enough to almost blind her but she continued to kick, feeling the watchful eyes of her rival judging her form and speed and size and muscles and aim and and and.

She paused, her lungs aching and her head screaming. _Don't let her in_.

She rushed forward, slamming the arch of her foot into the ball, watching the goalie fly to catch the blur of black and white, and she heard the swish of the net before a smug smile settled on her face. She glanced to Mikasa. The brunette's gaze was directed distinctly away from her and at the goalie. Annie looked at her beaming coach and strutted to the sidelines, falling down onto her butt and grabbing her water bottle. She guzzled down more than enough before she heard the whistle and made her way (running) into the locker rooms.

The sound of chatter and giggles always irritated her, but she was glad it was Monday again. Shorter practice and the mess of young women trying to escape the room faster than usual to do whatever normal teenagers did. She slipped a clean tee-shirt over her body and rolled on deodorant. She slammed her locker shut and reached into her bag to grab her phone.

Don't go to the vending machine today.

"Hey, what happened to your hand?" Annie's head jerked upwards to see the rounded face of her teammate. She traced her stare.

Annie quickly grabbed her hoodie and slipped it on, shooting a glare to the girl and replying, "It's none of your business, Sasha."

The other girl scowled with a confused glance and scoffed.

"Damn, just trying to be friendly. You might want to get a wrap on your arms or something, it looks painful."

Annie instinctively covered her wrists and frowned. "Thanks for the advice." she growled, grabbing her back and pushing her way out of the room without another word.

It was obvious that the other girls talked about it. But like she always thought, their opinions didn't really matter. Although they didn't, and because they talked, she didn't want them to see her bruises, or see her anywhere except on the field. She liked being good. She knew how to play, how to use the team to a total advantage, how to pass and shoot and work with others, but she didn't like the whole team thing. She didn't like being a team member. Anything regarding together-ness outside of soccer and no one seemed to notice or care.

And that was fine with her.

She found herself at the vending machine on the science hall. Annie glanced around on her toes, rubbing a palm against her jeans to scratch a non-existent itch. She checked her phone again.

Okay...?

Same time?

We're meeting today, right?

She blinked, feeling warmth inside her chest as she slid two dollars into the slot. She punched in numbers and watched two bags slide from the coils and fall into the bottom shelf for her to grab.

She did as she was supposed to and stuffed the bags inside her backpack, not bothering to reply and making a beeline towards the library.

Annie was usually quite observant, and she would usually be one to notice when the weather changed, but she only realized that a storm had begun as she stepped out into the pouring rain. She squeaked, stepping back and almost stumbling, hands reaching up to put the hood over her head as soon as she got back inside the building. She sighed, and heard a similar scoffing noise coming from behind her. She whipped around, and the face behind her suddenly became very flushed.

"Armin." she said, relieved.

He was holding his own phone with a slight grin.

"What?" she asked, slightly angered at his amusement. Was he laughing at her?

He straightened quickly, and visibly swallowed.

"N-nothing! Just the sound you made," he paused, his face calming with a shrug, "it was cute."

Annie's fists tightened at her sides and she rolled her eyes.

"Shut up." she mumbled nodding her head to the window. "We have studying to do." She reached out, grabbing his arm with her hand and tugging him to the door, pulling him entirely too close and feeling her stomach flip with the front of his shirt brushed hers when she turned to face him. He was obviously feeling the same thing she was with the entirely too apparent blush that was eternally stained to his face when she was around.

"We're running to the library if it kills us." she said, half jokingly. He huffed a laugh and nodded. She felt him twitching under her grip and wondered if she was holding too tight. She loosened her grip and let her hand slide down to his wrist, holding gently she tugged him out of the door and behind her, trying to keep her pace slow so that he'd be able to follow.

As a soccer player she was trying to be considerate of someone who probably wasn't timed on their ability to run across the football field.

They both stepped breathlessly into the library and Annie's hand slid away from his as quick as it had attached itself.

He looked at her with a smile and gestured to their usual table, quickly picking her hood from her head before making his way over to it. Annie swiftly reached up to flatten the stray hairs on her head and rushed after him, sitting in her place and reaching into her bag with a proud expression. When she pulled out the cookies she noticed a bright smile on Armin's face.

"Cookies." he said quietly, taking a bag and tearing it open with his teeth. Annie desperately tried not to look. He thanked her in a small voice and began munching on them happily, opening his book and trailing the words with a crooked finger.

"I actually, uh, don't need help today." she said with a shy glance away. Armin's attention snapped up to her.

"What?"

"My literature teacher gave me a work packet and I've already finished it." she replied. Armin almost looked pleased.

"Could I correct it?" he asked, tilting his head so that the longer hairs in his bangs draped over his eyes. Annie swallowed.

"Yeah, sure."

Her hands slid back down into her back, pulling the slightly wrinkled papers out and setting them in front of her tutor, watching him already scanning it. It took him less than two minutes to read both pages and he handed it back to her.

"Check number nine." he replied, crossing his arms and leaning upwards slightly to watch her. It took her a moment to reread the question and answers and it dawned on her.

"Oh shit I meant C," her eyes widened, hand covering her mouth, "f-damn-shit- I mean- no, no I didn't mean to curse," she gasped, thinking back and knowing she'd never said anything like that before.

Armin looked as if he were about to explode, soon letting out a bellowing laugh and pressing his head against the table as violent laughing shook his entire body. His shoulders alone looked like they were going to fly off his body. He sat up with palms facing her.

"It's fine, it's fine," he kept giggling, making Annie even more uncomfortable and tempted to laugh with him, "you should hear Eren. He swears like a sailor."

Annie smiled, feeling slightly relieved, and resolving not to do that again. She corrected her paper and looked back up to a staring Armin, who didn't seem to notice that she'd seen him.

"When's your next game?" he asked, "I would ask Mikasa but she never tells me anything anyways."

Annie almost shuddered but controlled herself. "This Saturday, actually."

He "hmf'ed" and looked back at his book, taking another cookie and smiling.

"Well if you don't need me I'll just read... are you sure I can't do anything else?" he asked. "I'd hate for our rain adventure to be a waste."

"It wasn't a waste," she responded hastily, "don't worry, I'd rather be here than... practicing." her voice trailed off and she was glad he didn't notice. She bit her lip and rested her head on the table, closing her eyes and listening to him mouth the words on the page. She caught fragments of phrases and words and she realized. He was her book.

She shook her own head with open eyes at the thought. (he couldn't be her book. no way. never in any world could he be her book.)

"Can you wake me up at six?" she asked, checking her watch. He grunted in response and she almost smiled. "Please, don't let me be late." she said in a quieter voice. He grunted again, but she was convinced he'd heard.

She drifted in dreamland until he poked her shoulder and she rushed home alone, but not before brushing his hand on the table and glancing over his shoulder to read a line of his book.

"For she was witty, but rabbits and foxes do not last long together in the forest."

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**A/N: Hey look more depth into Annie yay! I actually never intended for this story to be about Annie, but it kind of is now!**

**Hope you enjoy, thank you for the lovely reviews. :)**


	4. Chapter Four

It wasn't hot. It was freezing. There was no reason for her to be sweating like this. No reason to be working this hard on a game they'd practically already won. It was seven to two and there was barely ten minutes left in the game. She bent down and held her hands against her knees, breathing heavily into the iced air and feeling her heartbeat pounding into her forehead. She heard the shrill cry of the whistle, something she hated about this league: the coach got time outs.

She turned with a heavy breath and jogged to her coach, running her fingers through her hair as the slurred pep-talk turned angry and Annie grew bored. Her eyes roamed to the stands where a large group of usuals (parents and [boy/girl]friends) sat chatting and pointing to the groups of girls.

Off to the far right (or was it left? … her right, his left) there was a blond boy in a brown pea coat scribbling furiously and constantly glancing up. He caught her eye and slowly raised a hand to wave. Annie considered waving back until there was another scream of a whistle and Mikasa's bony shoulder rammed into her side, bringing her back into the game. Annie gritted her teeth and put her mind back on the field, determined and ready.

The ball was in the other team's hands, and she readied herself for the toss in, watching the opening and closing mouths and yelling in different languages and on levels of profanity. The ball went into the air, a bullet against the cold, and suddenly it switched directions.

She turned, seeing that her taller teammate, Ymir, had hit it with her head and began jogging after it, shooting a cool hand gesture to the short blonde girl who sat bundled up alone (smiling so hard her cheeks had to have been raw) in the front row.

Annie rolled her eyes, not the first time in this game, and chased after the ball, keeping herself open and easily avoiding the offenders, waiting for her turn. She watched the ball switch possession. Sasha to Ymir, back to Sasha, Mikasa, the new ginger girl, the senior she could never remember the name of, back to Mikasa, back to Sasha, and finally it was hers. She ran forward, catching it mid pass with her feet and dribbling forward, sliding out of the way of the defenders at midfield, running fast and faster, playing tag with the ball until she split left into an open patch, sliding forward and kicking the ball towards the net just before she went too far.

Annie held her breath. There was a silence, a thud, and a swish.

She breathed again.

There was loud cheering and more whistle blowing. She glanced up to the stands and the boy who came to see her had no idea what to do and ended up standing and clapping with the goofiest smile she'd ever seen.

She felt a hand on her back and allowed herself to be picked up by another member of the team, nodding in thanks and smirking at the rest of them, Mikasa looking particularly angry as the coach decided to bench Annie for the rest of the game. The blonde spent the rest of the time left on the clock staring up at the boy in the stands and yelling at the other team's players who were fouling like crazy without getting the proper punishment.

Finally the buzzer sounded and the stands went wild, excluding Armin who was collecting his things with the smile and making his way to the field. Annie got into a circle with her team and they chanted together, her voice enthusiastic, not for the win but for another reason, and when they'd been dismissed she trotted over to the side of the field where the boy waited for her.

"You did so well!" he exclaimed as she drew closer. She nodded, feeling her already hot face only gain temperature.

"Thanks," she puffed, still unable to breathe correctly. She crossed her arms, ruffling her hair and glancing back to her team, "Thanks for coming, that was—"

"Armin!"

His eyes drew behind her, and Annie got sick feeling in her stomach.

"Why are you here?"

Annie felt drained as the footsteps grew closer and she knew the sound of the cleats by heart. Armin smiled faintly with a shrug, "I had studying to do and I thought I should come one of,"

Annie started walking off mid-sentence, wiping her face and picking up the pace until she entered the locker room where she felt her wrists start to ache again. (she was terribly disappointed, and her quiet frowning and saggy eyes told that tale to everyone around her.)

Once she'd showered and cleaned, listened to the banter of the other girls and had enough of the gossip, she packed up and held her cleats in one hand and bag in the other, making her way out of the locker room with only a few strides.

She stepped from the exit, and something caught her eye.

"Annie!" she turned instantly, about to yell at whoever stopped her, but her eyes rested on Armin's face and she softened. "Sorry, I got distracted. I wanted to ask if I could come to more games…" he said quietly, tilting his head like he had before and smiling.

She shrugged. "Sure, I can't stop you." she replied, sounding a more disheartening than sincere, looking down and pushing hair behind her ears.

"Great, I love watching you play." he said, unfazed by her slight-attitude, and she believed him. She stood watching him as he walked away, behind the wall and into the light of day. She stood by herself for several long moments, chin to her chest with a smile on her face. A genuine smile.

He started coming to all her games. The first semester was halfway over and she felt secure in her education, but she still met with him when she didn't understand (usually on Fridays just so they could talk).

Annie grasped something tightly in her hands. Not the usual cookies bag or the occasional chips. It was something new that made her more nervous than before.

"I brought you something." she said, standing next to him as he sat in the library.

"Really?" he asked with a quirked brow and an open jaw. She tried not to look at that either.

"Yeah," she smirked, laying down the present next to his papers. His initial shock wore off when it settled in.

"You got me a book."

She nodded. "It's about the Soviet Air Force in World War Two. I know you like reading, and this isn't fantasy but you like math and technology, right? I mean, if you don't like it, then I can —"

"No, no, I love it." he replied, looking up at her with the familiar flustered look. She nodded, sitting next to him and unsure of what do next.

"I'm really glad." she whispered, pulling out her own assignment and beginning to work as he read, content with her decision and hoping it was enough to repay him for making her so happy. For watching her games (especially). For helping her.

There was an absence of speech for a long time, and Annie didn't really care that she would be late to practice or that tomorrow she'd had new bruises, but she was here with someone who actually liked her, well, liked her for what she appeared to be, which wasn't that much different than what she really was.

"Are you going to prom?" he asked her in the void of silence. Her head perked up.

"No… when is it?"

"Next Saturday." he was alarmingly calm in his answer. She furrowed her brows.

"I have a game and then that night I plan on watching old movies alone, why?" she asked curiously. He shrugged. Suspicious.

"Why aren't you going?"

She sighed, "I hate dancing. It wouldn't be fun and there's no one I actually like to hang out with who's going, plus I have no date. Even so, I wouldn't go anyways. Too much. I don't like dresses either."

She thought she saw disappointment.

"I understand." he smiled at her. He checked his watch and glanced at her. "You're going to be late again."

She breathed in and piled her things in her bag. "Let's hang out this weekend, or something." she breathed on her way away from him.

"Yeah, just text me."

"Alright. I will."


	5. Chapter Five

No matter how many times she reached for her phone she could not put her fingers to the keyboard enough to text him. She lays sprawled across her bed, one arm at the bottom and foot on the headboard. She was alone for the majority of the weekend, her father worked and she didn't leave the house unless she was going for a run or to a game.

If she were to be honest with herself, she was too nervous to contact him. What if she was bothering him? What if he didn't like her? What if he didn't want to hang out with her?

The day she returned to school she thought she was going to die of embarrassment, but Annie Leonheardt did not blush, nor did she melt in the middle of the hallway when her tutor was making his way towards her (unknowingly) as he scanned some paper with angry vigor. He almost ran into her, and stopped with a slightly off-put face. When he saw who she was, his face was instantly changed, and she wasn't sure if she should be happy or upset by the fact that her presence had such an effect on him.

"What's your next class?" she asked, stuffing her hands in her front pocket and walking alongside him down the hall. He could barely take his eyes off of her as they walked.

"Uh— AP Lang." he replied with a fumbling of the books in his arms.

"I'll walk you there." she replied quietly, not looking up to see his astounded face.

She trailed him down the hallway, stomach churning, uncertain of what to say to him. He too, seemed nervous and flinched when the backs of their hands brushed as they reached the doorway. He made a complete turn to face her, and leaned slightly on the wall, blinking and looking at her eyes with a serene smile that only Armin could pull off.

"You never texted."

She blinked, looking down. "I'm sorry."

He was suddenly surprised and shook his head slightly. "No, don't feel guilty." he huffed in laughter, "Maybe next weekend we could—"

The blond was interrupted by the slamming of an arm to his shoulder, pushing him hard against the wall. Annie's hands were already fists in front of her, fiery eyes turned towards whoever had just done that and she quickly established the threat as Armin's friend.

"Get a room," he laughed in an mocking fashion, looking at Armin with deep knit eyes and a cocky smirk. His eyes finally landed on Annie and it was apparent by the shock in his eyes that she was not what he expected.

Annie and Eren had always had their differences. She used to fight him behind the school in junior high just to show him how much better she was than him, and he'd fight back without fail. Seeing him now after the years of ignoring him and his bruised eyes, she felt like punching him again.

His hands shot up, a thief caught by a cop, and slowly stepped inside the class, Annie's attention went back to Armin but with slight anger. His entire face, chin to forehead was rosy and hers almost matched.

"I'm gonna get to class, but we can meet again tomorrow, is that cool?" she asked cautiously, rolling back and forth, up and down on the balls of her feet. He nodded slightly and she took her chance to rush off, turning the corner and speeding into her classroom.

She took the seat in the back , her signature position, and though she usually doodled in her classes, today was not like the other days. The pen-colored-eyes on the corners of her paper belonged to a real boy and not just a figment in her mind.

* * *

Annie slammed herself into the library chair, her head hitting the table with a loud 'thump' and her feet crossing at her ankles. She was frowning particularly hard today.

(they dont matter at all. they don't matter at all. she told herself.)

The comments, the scoffs, they'd all become too much today. Too much on the field. Too much in the showers. Too much in the locker room.

She didn't like the glares she got on her way to the library, or that no one even tried to talk to her directly today. She let out a long and defeated sigh.

"Are you alright?"

Her head popped up and she forced a grin. Armin stood over her with a concerned frown, frantically glancing over her as if she'd been hurt.

"Yeah, yeah don't worry I'm fine."

She sat up and wiped her face, reaching into her bag and placing two books on the table. Her insides began to melt at the joy in his face when he saw them and scooped them up into his arms.

"Where did you get these?" he asked, reading over the back covers with care and making sure not to miss a single word. She shrugged when he looked up at her.

The truth was that she'd taken them from the bookshelf in her room. Gifts from people she didn't know very well. No one would miss them. Well, perhaps when her father did an inventory he would yell for her foolish givings, but she could bear that. Bear it because the excitement on Armin's face was something one does not get to experience every day.

She found herself wanting to be in that moment daily, hourly, every moment. She looked away when he turned to face her.

"Thank you so much," he said with a smile, "okay now what did you learn today in math?"

She shrugged again, eyes avoiding him. "Honestly I didn't pay that much attention. The teacher told me I was ahead so there wasn't really a need to keep practicing," she forced herself to look at him with a content face, "all thanks to you."

He sat up straighter. Perhaps it was pride within him.

"Well, it was my pleasure."

He gazed at her, and she was aware of it, for a long time, hand grazing the books with a distant mind. He broke his spell after a pregnant moment and turned to her again.

"Prom is Saturday night." (why was he reminding her?)

She blinked at him, having hardly any ideas as to why he'd bring that up again.

"You're still coming to my game, right?" she asked carefully, trying not to sound too clingy to him.

"Of course!" he exclaimed, slightly offended that she'd even asked. "I wouldn't miss it for anything." he paused and began to speak again. "So do you have plans that night?" he asked shyly.

"I already told you I'm not going," she huffed, "but other than my game, no, I'll just be at home. Dad works night shifts."

There was something like amusement and satisfaction in his face. She tilted her head. "What?"

He waved his hands with a smirk. "Nothing, nothing. I'll see you Saturday. I've got to go," he stood and Annie followed and stopped, in a panic as to what she should do. She didn't want him to leave her. (maybe just another moment)

He waved, "Thanks for the books, it really means a lot. I can't wait to read them!" Very suddenly he rushed forward and Annie tensed. He held her in a tight hug, and before she could react his red cheeked face was moving quietly down the aisle of books and out of the library doors.

She felt light on her feet and later that night she browsed the fantasy section in look of a reason for why she was so lucky.


	6. Chapter Six

Three days in a row, Armin was at her practices. She didn't mind, no she was ecstatic actually. She always stopped to speak to him after, ignoring glares from Mikasa and giggles from her teammates.

He waited outside the school for her after and walked her to the end of the parking lot, asking her all kinds of questions about soccer and the people on the team and what position she was and if she'd ever gotten hurt (and he mumbled to himself that he really hoped she wouldn't or never did) and Annie never got tired of replying.

But it was Saturday and her game had been cancelled do to the rain, which was odd to her because they usually kept on playing regardless of the weather.

She was thankful, thinking about how it would have gone as she laid on her side on her couch, one hand on the remote and the other between her knees. There was nothing 'good' on, by her standards.

She looked outside the faded window and she closes her eyes. The raindrops fog the glass and taps at her, telling her she shouldn't be home alone on a night like this.

There's another noise that she doesn't expect. A knock on the door.

She hopped up, blinking away the soft sleep that was in her mind a moment ago. She glanced down for a moment but figures whoever stopped by at dinner time expects a laid back home-owner with gym shorts and a sweatshirt.

She tip-toed to the door, her feet becoming suddenly cold from the lack of contact with a warm couch, and her fingers slowly wrapped around the door handle.

"Who is it?" she called before opening, knowing if it was danger she'd be able to fend for herself, but still cautious before opening the door to a stranger.

"Highly dangerous nerd looking for a date who may or may not kick his ass after seeing him."

She paused. Was it…?

She opened the door quickly, revealing her visitor immediately. She almost thought about closing the door on him, but she didn't. How could she? She stifled the smile as hard as she could, but the breathless grin on his face was making it hard.

He's dressed in a dress shirt and tie, dark blue vest and pants to match. He's smiling, holding a small plastic box in his hands. She felt a shiver run down her back. His shoulders and hair are damp and she ushers him in, feeling a giggle erupt from her throat.

"What are you doing here, Armin?" she whisper yells, closing the door and pressing her back and hands to it to face him. He stands awkwardly in her living room, a crooked smile and shaking fingers. She looked inside the box, and sitting there was a soft petaled crystal blue flower, the center light pink.

"Is that," she pauses, pointing to it," for me?"

Armin laughs and nods, barely able to tear his eyes off of her long enough to struggle to open the little box. She bites her lip and steps closer to him, hands on his to open up the lid. He stopped moving to stare at her, and she pretended not to notice. Annie finally got it open and pulls back, crossing her arms and waiting for him to do something with it. He picked it up and reached for her hand. She let it go limp and he takes a string on the back and ties it to her wrist.

He looked up, eyes moving to her wrist and back to her face. "Beautiful."

She doesn't know if he's talking about her or the flower, but maybe it can be their little mystery.

She placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow.

"So you're here to take me to prom?" she asked, moving to the television to switch it off and turn back to him.

"No, actually, I think I would bring prom to you since you're not really into it."

He smiled, glancing down. "I told myself I was going to go senior year, but the only person I ever thought about going with didn't want to. So now I'm here, and all I wanted to ask of you was just one dance." he looked back up to her, holding his arms out. She feels a knot in her belly, and her hand lifted to brush her bangs from her eyes. She nodded, unsure of what to do with her hands, and stepped closer. She looked down at her bare toes, kneading with the carpet with her toes and feeling her face get extremely warm.

His hands find her waist and she makes herself look up, hands on his shoulders and hips unbearably close to his. (way, way, way too close.)

He looks as if he'd pass out so she steps even closer (she'd never noticed how warm he was) placing her chin on his shoulder to hide her grin.

He began to sway back and forth, arms wrapping around her, making her shiver even more. (had anyone else ever held her this way?)

"Thanks for dealing with me when I was stupid." she whispered, hoping she wouldn't interrupt their imaginary slow-dance tune. He starts to laugh.

"You were never stupid… you just didn't find the right teacher.." he whispers back to her, also hoping the tempo of their song wouldn't break.

They continued, and Annie closed her eyes. This wasn't more than a crush, she told herself. But she'd never really had one before. Past guy friends didn't count, and they couldn't be counted on.

With Armin it was _different_. She couldn't breathe properly unless he was in front of her. (and to be honest she couldn't breathe when he was there, either.)

She liked the way his hair touched his forehead and the way he spun his pencils while he worked and the way he huffed when he stumbled across a word he didn't know or a problem he couldn't help her with.

She liked his happiness and his glow. He was clever and quiet and he always asked her about **her**. He was selfless and she was selfish. (was she?)

He was small and she was vast and she feared that being more than just teacher and student would cause her wake to consume him, but perhaps he needed to be stronger. (yes, she was.)

She almost pulled away from him when she thought that it would hurt him to really, really know her. But did he really care that much about her to try?

"Annie…. I think you're really smart,"

He must.

"and you're beautiful,"

He has to. (his voice was trembling and everything)

"and I was wondering if you wanted to be—"

She stopped him the only way she knew how. She swelled at his words and pressed her lips to his. She discovered it was something she'd wanted to do for a very, very long time now.

He was sweet and soft and she wanted to bury herself in his body and never come out, hide with him and his serene and keep him to herself.

She came back off her tip-toes after realizing she'd stood up higher to kiss him. When they parted she was a little embarrassed but somehow it had cured his flustered state. Somehow the ocean in his eyes that had only just begun to let itself be seen was calm.

She wanted to swim in them, (so cliche) she wanted to watch them, claim them, kiss his eyelids so even they felt how much she really cared, and most of all (and even at such a young and foolish age, she knew this) she wanted to wake up to those beautiful eyes. She wanted to roll over onto her side on her couch, on her bed, on the floor, and fold herself into his arms and peer into the gift of a soul she'd decided to keep for her own.

"Yeah." she whispered against his lips, "Yeah I would."

He bit his lip, tasting her again, and pressed his forehead to hers in excitement. He pulled away for a moment, rocking back and forth again to a slightly more happy imaginary slow song, and hugged her tighter so their chests touched.

"I'm in my pajamas." she breathed with a laugh. He laughed with her.

"You've never looked better."

It took them a moment but somehow they ended up on the couch, her head laying at one end and her legs across his lap at the other. He asked her to put on a movie and he was honest: he didn't have any intention of paying attention to it.

She bit her lip and turned on the t.v. She laid on her side and felt his hand in her newly released hair.

Annie felt like putting her face in her hands and squealing. Squeal like the stupid school girl she was.

He watched her, touched her legs like a canvas and brush. He painted words and pictures and made her guess. She only felt the knot in her stomach tighten, but in a good way. (she assumed.)

She sat up once whatever comedy had finished and sat cross-legged at his side, kissing his cheek and nuzzling her face into his shoulder, face suddenly very red. She hid in his sleeve and he himself admitted he didn't know what to do.

He stayed until it got dark, and Annie told him her dad would be home soon. When he stood in the doorway she hovered close to his chest.

"Thank you." she whispered, hushed and content.

He nodded, leaning down and placing a hand on her chin, bringing her lips up to collide with his once again. He pulled back and huffed like a little boy who'd gotten his first Christmas present.

"Annie."

"Yeah?"

"Thank _you_."

She shoved him back, playfully, catching his vest with her fists and tugging him back in for one last (and beautiful, so, so beautiful) kiss. He waved and pecked her hand with his lips, diving into the rain and clambering into his car. He drove off and she stood in her door until she couldn't see the tail lights any more.

That night a blue flower laid on her bedside table and the last texts she received before going to sleep came from Armin.

You should have seen my date tonight. She took my breath away.

I really hope she likes me as much as I like her…

Goodnight, Annie


	7. Chapter Seven

For the first time in years, tears breached the walls of Annie's eyes. It happened at soccer practice two weeks later. (two weeks after she became the class president's girlfriend. two weeks after she kissed a boy and really felt a shift. two weeks after her make-shift prom and giggly dreams that no one would ever find out about. not even the boy that was in them.)

It was during practice and of course it had been raining again. The field was muddy and she was already dirty from the sweat on her back and dirt flying at her from the heels of other cleats.

The team was running dribbling, passing, and shooting drills; the whole team was on the field running around as fast and hard as they could. They'd run in a straight line from half field, dribble the ball the other part of the way, pass to another teammate, get it passed back, and try for a goal. Annie had just switched into the exercise, breathing hard from rushing, and had only just reached the ball when someone slammed into her side, causing her to slip. She grasped the air, snagging a teeshirt and a leg before toppling down with a bent knee and another girl on top of her.

She screamed when she saw the position her ankle was in. Mikasa scrambled from atop her and her eyes got large. Annie watched her (stupid stupid ugly stupid) lips gape open wide to watch Annie writhe around on the ground.

The whistle had been blown and there was yelling from the sidelines. She bit back words of disgust to glance over to see her blond knight fighting his way towards her. She couldn't smile and instead began to cry as she was lifted to her feet.

"Can you walk? Can you walk?" her coach screamed at her.

Annie nodded hesitantly, putting slight pressure on the injured ankle and feeling more and more tears ebb from her eyes. She'd never been more humiliated in her life.

Ymir held Annie's arm over her shoulder and placed her other hand on the blonde's hip.

Annie tried not to make a snarky comment but instead Ymir tried to make a joke.

"I'm not hitting on you or anything," she huffed, bringing Annie to the bench and setting her down, "I just don't want our best player to think that her team would let her down when she needed us."

Somehow the taller girl's words weren't so comforting as the events played out in her head.

"M-Mikasa bumped me—"

"Yeah, yeah she's playing way too rough today." The girl was about to step away but Annie groaned in pain, hands clutching her ankle like she'd been shot.

"She did it on purpose!" she howled at her, biting her lip and watching Armin come racing towards her. She narrowed her eyes at her teammate across the field who had yet to tear her eyes away from the star in pain.  
She felt a hand on her back and another on her arm and when she looked up the blue pond eyes were staring right back, full of concern and adoration that she didn't deserve.

"What?" Ymir was trying to get her attention, snapping her fingers and sneering.

Annie shook her head and watched the rest of the team make their way over.

"You better go see a doctor." someone said, though she couldn't see their face. Anger churned inside her as the eyes of Mikasa Ackerman laid on her leg and not a single word came from her mouth.

"Aren't you going to apologize?" Annie huffed, pulling on Armin's arm for support to stand at the other girl's eye level.

Mikasa shrugged, crossed arms and puffed out chest staring Annie in the eyes. She scoffed. The coach stood between them and asked Armin politely to escort her off the field and take her to see some sort of doctor.  
Annir gasped at every step she took but they eventually reached his car, but she refused to climb in, finding her sobs growing more and more violent.

"Annie, what's wrong?" he whispered to her, holding her shoulders with one arm and her hand with another. She felt her stomach grow sore from the crying she was doing and the pain in her leg had shifted to her temples and her chest.

She gasped for air and before he could ask her again she turned around, using his chest as a pillow and his body as an anchor.

She wrapped her arms around him, crying into the front of his shirt, feeling his hand on her back, rubbing her shoulder blades, trying to soothe her.

"I'm so sorry you got hurt, Annie."

She reached up and grabbed fistfuls of his shirt in her hands and rocked him away and back to her, angry but constrained in her own tiny world.

"It's not— It's not that— I just—" she choked on her own sobs and words and nearly sunk to her knees.

They stood for half an hour. He was silent and confused and she was relentless in her exertion.

He drove her to the drug-store clinic in silence. He didn't ask her again and she was thankful. (she'd have to tell him later, though, she'd have to. wouldn't he ask again?)

The nurse inside told her it was only sprained, but she'd have to stop playing for at least two weeks. And in Annie's mind there was a chance at being out on the field again by next Saturday. She gave her a small boot, and Annie charged it to her credit card. (She lied and said she had no insurance. Her father was already angry enough as it was.)

When they finally got back in the car they sat together in the parking lot.

"You were so calm." she breathed. He nodded slowly, eyes yearning and conflicted. She swallowed. "Do you want to come over?"

She'd never seen him make a decision so fast. He put the car in reverse with a calming smile, and began to head towards her home, and when they pulled into the driveway it had started to drizzle.


	8. Chapter Eight

She hobbled inside, eyes frantically searching for her father and silently hoping he hadn't decided to skip work today.

When they closed the door the house was silent and she felt the churning in her belly subside for a moment. But then she felt his hand on her back and it returned. Armin helped her to the couch, and she plopped down, gasping when she crossed her legs and wearily turning to look at him. He sat next to her, hand on her knee with a gentle glance drifting her way. She looked down.

"We don't have to talk about it…" he whispered. She wanted to throw up. "But I really think we should."

In response, she nodded, but refused to look up at him. The aching in her foot hadn't sufficiently subsided for her to speak yet, so she waiting a moment, took a deep breath, and began to talk.

"I'm completely useless without soccer," she began, biting her lip in between sentences to hold back the rush of tears trapped behind her eyes, "and now that I'm hurt, now that I'm weak no one's going to look up to me, or be impressed, or want to give me a scholarship because I have no money, and I'm not smart and I don't have friends and my dad's an asshole and I-I-I'm nothing without this stupid sport!" her hands waved in the air in frustration, teeth gritted and eyes soggy.

Armin's eyes were wide but his hand stayed on her knee, his warmth still radiating onto her skin. He was there, breathing and alive and he was there and maybe he could make this better. But she couldn't depend on anyone for happiness, could she?

"And my friggin' leg hurts!" she sputtered, tears finally coming out of her as she began to laugh. Armin's soft eyes broke and he chuckled with her, both hands on her legs and shoulders bobbing so peacefully atop his body to show just how amused he was with her.

She wished she was as beautiful as he was when she laughed.

"Annie, you're not useless without soccer. You're incredibly smart and one sprained ankle isn't going to ruin your college career."

She paused to think about him. He was feeling the same stress as she was. Applying for college, worrying about grades, money, schools, family, finances… She leaned towards him. She wanted to make it all better. For the both of them.

He mirrored her action and touched her head with his with a laugh from deep in his chest.

"Your leg's gonna heal, and if your dad's really that bad you can just stay with me."

She swallowed. She felt a panic brewing in her head. Of course the thought of leaving her house was very appealing. So appealing that she was actually considering it for a moment until she realized that would be the worst thing to do in this situation.

The other thought the arose was more scary than tempting. Staying in a house, with Armin, possibly a few rooms away from Armin, sleeping in a bed that was in the vicinity of Armin's bed, maybe even sleeping in _Armin's_ bed, sleeping and eating and living in the space where he lived, where the boy who stole her heart lived.

Her heart began to pound rapidly in her chest. Although it wouldn't happen, or even have the chance to happen any time soon, she felt like screaming and telling him, 'Y_es, yes, yes, yes, yes. Please, please, please_.'

"You're very kind but I'll be alright." she responded instead, cursing herself for submitting to her father and his rules yet again. She reached up with her hand and took his chin in her fingers, drawing him forward slightly so their noses brushed. His cheeks sported a blush (yet again… but it never really got old to her.) and she tilted her head so their eyes met at a crooked angle. "Do you want to…" she trailed off, her breath against him like the wind and the sea and he leaned forward just in time for their lips to meet and her infinite yearning to have him against her to fully begin.

Annie may not have been allowed to play, but she was present at every practice and game, the first being a loss and the second being more boring than any game she'd ever attended or played in.

She sat with Armin on the top step of the huge stone bleachers. They huddled close to stay warm, as it was now late November and the winter season was officially on it's way.

For the first time she saw him laid back, sporting a loose sweatshirt and jeans, while she (had left her own sweatshirt in the dryer before leaving the house) was in a long-sleeve and sweatpants (the only article of clothing that would fit with her boot).

She crossed her arms, watching the opposing team take yet another time out and huffing enough to see her breath against the air.

"Cold?" he asked, scooting closer.

She nodded in discomfort and closed her eyes, forming an idea. She stood, hobbling over to stand directly in front of him, ushered him to scoot backwards and sat between his legs. She reached back behind her and tugged the hem of the sweatshirt up, hearing him inhale with a squeak as she pulled the bottom over her head, suffering a moment of awkward darkness, and then emerge through the top of the sweatshirt, crossing her arms inside and wiggling to be comfortable.

She couldn't imagine what his face was now, but she was quite satisfied with herself, and much warmer than she was before.

"I'm fine now, thanks." she replied with a smug grin, trying hard to watch the game without thinking about what was going through Armin's mind and why exactly she needed to be so close to him all the time.

She felt him shiver, but in a different sense, and she herself felt like shaking.

They sat like that for the rest of the game. Together inside a single shirt, talking quietly like they were sharing secrets.

After the tied game was officially over, Annie broke herself from the combined jacket to speak to the coach, noting it was remarkably colder than before.

"You can play next Wednesday, but make sure your doctor agrees."

Annie felt lightning in her knees. She nodded quickly and turned to Armin, tackling him with a hug and pulling away before anyone noticed.

They walked hand in hand to his car and when she climbed in he asked her a question.

"Where to?"

She rubbed her fingers against her knee. "Anywhere, I suppose."

He started the engine and glanced her way. "Hungry?" She nodded, and the car lurched forward.


	9. Chapter Nine

She was quiet all the way into the restaurant. It was a small diner for a small town, replying to her thoughts with the quiet sound of clinking glasses and senior small talk. Her hands hung close to her sides, unsure of what to do without her large pocket to hold them.

Once they'd stepped inside and shaved off the icy night, she felt his fingers intertwine with hers and it somehow comforted her itching fingers and she felt a soft smile on her lips.

He asked for a table for two, stuttering and smiling. The waitress smirked and led them to an empty booth. A window beside them to watch the sun go down. It was darker now, and the sun was burning red at Annie's eye level. He never let go of her hand as he slid into the seat in front of her.

She found it oddly romantic but her arm was getting sore and she wondered why he was holding on so tightly.

A woman came over shortly after to break their adoring silence, and she asked them what they'd like to eat.

"Uh, whatever she wants." Armin replied immediately, slipping his hand away to bring her hurting knuckles comfort. She glanced down at the menu that wasn't actually in front of her, and she shrugged.

"Chocolate milkshake," she replied, "two spoons and a glass of coke please." She kept a straight face but felt the pair of feet opposite to her get closer to hers and start to shake.

The waitress eyed her in amusement and nodded, setting down two straws and making her way back into the kitchen just as Annie noticed that the sun had disappeared.

Annie avoided the other's gaze until she forced herself to look up at his smile.

"Answer me something."

Annie quirked her eyes. A challenge. Or at least that's how she saw it. Questions were never easy, especially when they were presented with a statement at first. But how bad could this be? It was _Armin_.

"Sure." Her feet kicked forward, legs brushing his and sighing as the weight of her boot became apparent against her ankle.

"And I don't want you to be mad at me—"

"Armin." her tone fell flat and she struggled to smile. "Just go. You should be allowed to ask me things. I'm your girlfriend." she almost choked on the word. She most certainly didn't belong to him but she liked having a title. Better than the other labels she acquired earlier in life.

He glanced down, to the window, and then finally to her. She could tell he was thinking long and hard on how to word his phrase by the way his hands folded and sat under his chin. She waited patiently and tapped practiced tunes into the table, and he still hadn't spoken when their drink was sat down in front of the two of them.

When she reached for the spoon she heard him inhale.

"Who did you hang out with before we started… being a…." he trailed off. She almost dropped the spoon, but instead tried to hold it tightly.

Annie sighed, starting to mix the shake with her right hand, her other laying gently across her other arm in thought.

"When I was little kids thought I was special because I never talked. The teacher used to call my dad and ask if I was special needs and that if I needed to be moved into the other class. I ended up getting bullied. After I turned eleven I started beating the absolute _shit_out of kids that tried to push me around." she felt him twitch. "Middle school was alright. Eighth grade I made some friends. Reiner and Bertholdt. They really liked me and Bertholdt was one of the nicest people I've ever met, but he was always nervous. Reiner just wanted to make out with me so I beat him up too." she snickered and took a spoonful of chocolate. "I still hung out with them until sophomore year when they started going out to places and seeing people I didn't want to associate myself with. Reiner was the leader of our wolf pack and Bertholdt just followed like a puppy. I wasn't into it. By then I'd already joined soccer and I was several years into martial arts. No one really liked me, I guess. And I didn't really need anyone. My dad…" she trailed off and let the chunk of ice cream slide into her mouth. She swallowed.

"I always took you for a vanilla kind of person." He whispered, hands around the base of the glass and chin on the table.

"What?" her jaw opened slightly, eyes widening. Why hadn't he bolted when he had the chance? She'd just let him inside her walls and he wasn't… **gone**?

"I said I always took you—"

"No, no," she breathed, "I heard you."

She felt her cheeks grow increasingly warmer. His eyes were on the ridges of the old-fashioned glass and she felt guilty for making him look away from her.

"I've known Eren since I was a kid. My parents were biologists before they moved up north, and I was always obsessed with going up to visit them, see the world, study everything that I could to make them proud. To make them want me again." his frown tightened. "Mom was crazy and Dad chose her over me. That's why they left. I lived with my aunt until this year, down the street from Mikasa and Eren. The both of them used to come visit me. I don't think it's because they pitied me. For once I actually felt… liked? I don't know. I hope it wasn't just pity pushing them down the street. Nowadays it's more like I'm an extra in their show. I'm unimportant now that they have other things… Anyways, I've never really had anyone else. Of course I've worked with other people in classes and clubs, but I've never really had, well, feelings for someone like I have for you." His eyes were finally on hers.

She swallowed, glancing down and pulling the milkshake closer to her.

"Yeah, you're right." she took a bite, and then another, grasping his whole attention. "I like vanilla better."

He rested his forehead on the table, covering his blush, blindly fumbling for the coke and sticking a straw into it, taking a drink and crossing his arms against the table.

"Why do you like beating up little children, Annie?" he asked with a smug grin. She almost spat out the drink in her mouth.

"I don't!" she scolded, "Not anymore, at least," she joked, "I like martial arts, though, because after I'm done I'm disgustingly sweaty and vulnerable and my hearts racing and I've won and I've reached my climax and after I'm done everything just settles and nothing that was built up is there anymore. Do you—"

She stopped herself at the sight of his eyes staring towards hers.

"What?"

"I hate you for being beautiful, sometimes, did you know that?"

She shook her head, covering her cheeks with her fingers.

"You could probably murder someone and I'd still love you."

"Stop, Armin."

"Tell me more about soccer and fighting. Tell me about friends, if you've ever smoked, what it feels like to kiss me, what it feels like to fall on wet grass and what your favorite smells are so I can make sure you're happy and—"

"I'm not a biome, Armin, I can't be studied." she snickered, seeing something in his eyes that made her thing he'd like to try. She raised her hand to pause him as she took another bite. "Okay, soccer is terrible and fighting is fantastic. Reiner was always an ass and I used to punch Eren in the face a lot. No I haven't, but Bertholdt did once just because he got dared to and he puked so I'm scarred for life. It's the best feeling in the world. That's the second best feeling in the world. I like the smell of toothpaste and mouthwash and fresh-baked bread and most of all I like the smell of your neck and your shoulders and your sweatshirt and you and your whole body it's like fresh air _I can't get enough_."

By the time she was done she was breathless and she was leaning way to hard over the table. She pushed her bangs behind her ear and looked down.

"I'm flattered." he said in a laugh, sitting up and crossing his arms with a reddened face.

"Armin, I want to know anything and everything about you and I've never felt like that before." she murmured, smiling as another spoonful of dessert went into her mouth.

"Imagine me, then," he said with a growing chuckle, "I want to know everything about everything and I've got a person here who strengthens that, who makes me want to trace every line of her body and taste her skin and her eyes and listen when she sleeps and I want to study her but not only that but to hold and love and _feel_ her."

Annie was blushing. Her eyes were glued to her lap.

"We're in a restaurant, Armin." she snickered, abandoning the almost-meal in front of her and feeling her hunger subside.

"Yeah well I never really was good with timing."

Her head shot up to glare at him.

"Yeah, you were late to our first date."

He burst into laughter, pushing his own hair behind his ears with a broad smile and a pounding chest.

"Come on." he said quietly, reaching into his back pocket and throwing a bill out onto the table.

Annie looked at him in surprise and confusion. He stood in front of her with a shrug. "Won't your dad kill us if I get you home too late?" he asked. Annie felt like sighing but instead she stood and nodded for him to lead the way.

She was disappointed, her shoulder sagging and her fingers tensed in a fist as she followed him out. He apologized when they got in the car but she muffled his words with a rough kiss, indulging in the pinned up feelings that spilled through her ribcage and into their laps.

She grabbed his cheeks and pulled him closer, feeling his wavering hand wrap around her in a desperate effort to bring her closer. She broke herself from him and buried her face into his shoulder, inhaling and slowly moving into the passenger seat.

"Were you smelling me?" he asked with a brightened face and an embarrased tinge in his voice.

She sunk deeper into her seat, hands between her knees and feet planted to the floor boards.

"Take me home, Armin." (it came out a bit more winded than she'd intended it to, and the look in Armin's eyes reflected exactly that. she tried to stop herself from thinking about it until they pulled into her driveway, where her father's large SUV sat and stared at them.)

She looked at him, reaching to unbuckle herself but his hand was already on her side and his lips intercepting the space between hers. She almost cursed with his teeth dragged against her lips and his fingers dug a little too deep into her shirt.

Annie brushed him away (after giving into him with a push upwards and a deeper kiss than she'd expected) and blinked before giving him a scolding look and an upturn of her lips.

"Let's go to the library tomorrow." she whispered.

"Okay."

"Okay." she replied, closing the door softly with a longing look and scurrying to her door, (allowing him to act as if she couldn't see him and celebrate with a small dance in his car) and watched him drive outwards and into the road. She didn't open her door until he was gone. (but she really wished he wasn't. she really wished he wasn't.)


	10. Chapter Ten

**A/N: Here's the non-smut with some awkward comedy on the side. Enjoy! I LOVE SEEING YOUR REVIEWS! :) **

* * *

She was too nervous to ask for Armin to pick her up. She texted him, assuming he'd be there, and decided to walk to the library. She'd called her doctor the day before and asked if it was alright to start exercising again, and to her excitement she'd gotten a 'yes'. It wasn't as if the library was too far. She'd run several miles more than the distance between her home and the meeting place at practices. Annie enjoyed the time alone, but something inside her yearned for contact as she drew closer and closer.

When she got inside, she adjusted the small, messy bun at the back of her head, and she checked her jeans (which were new from the store from last weekend, she'd picked them out because they had tears at the knees and they were the dark blue that reminded her of nighttime. the time when she wished he was with her the most.) to make sure that she looked alright.

She'd never felt like looking presentable before, but now it seemed relatively important, even though she knew for a fact that he didn't care about what she wore or how the looked.

She drifted to their regular spot, and the absence made something inside her lurch.

She pulled out her phone to check the time. The last text from him was over fifteen minutes ago.

Are you there?

On my way!

She fidgeted as worry crept over her.

Armin?

Armin

Are you here?

Armin love

stupid nerd who stole my heart

jesus where are you

please please please be alive

dont text and drive oh my god

ARMIN

She started breathing heavily, turning around, when there was a buzz in her hand and she frantically read what appeared on her screen.

SORRY!

She sighed.

I'm in the nonfiction. Reading about the Soviet Air Force.

Come visit I'm lonely.

She felt like crying as she made her way (on her sore ankle) towards the section he'd described. She looked around, her heart still racing from the nerves.

I can't find you.

She turned around every corner, every aisle and finally she stood in the center between two shelves, furiously texting with a tight frown and before sending she heard a whisper.

"Annie."

She froze.

"God, you're beautiful." she turned around, tip-toeing into the next aisle to see her Armin sitting on the back wall, a small pile of books at his side and a pink smile on his cheeks.

"I was really worried." she huffed, a smile forming on her lips and her eyes almost closed from happiness.

"I can tell." he motioned to his phone beside him and he sat his book down, open faced and gentle. She hmf'ed and looked around. It was a quiet day for the library. Lucky for her.

One thing Annie knew about herself was that she was shameless about most things. Whatever happened, she moved on, repeated the action, and kept going no matter what. Whether it be a trip on the field, a missed goal, accidentally locking her locker door before being done, late to lunch… nothing really phased her.

So sliding her phone into her pocket and straddling her math-tutor-boyfriend who sat cross legged underneath her was not a problem. Not even in this public place. Besides, no one really came into this section anyways. (that's what she told herself as she moved downwards.)

Before he could resist, she curled her arms up into her chest and leaned against him, tilting her head and pressing her open lips to his. There was something electric about the way his fit perfectly against hers.

She held on, moving her lips and head every few seconds to keep him on edge, pulling her arms out and tugging his around her waist. His arms tickled her sides but she tried not to notice.

She pulled back, watching his eyes lay half-closed and came forward again, lips crashing down onto his with a hungry satisfaction. She teased him with her tongue and when he opened his mouth to deepen the kiss she angled her chin forward and dug her teeth into his bottom lip, tugging it, and in effect pulling him even closer.

She heard him squeak when she let go, and she caught her breath as his inhale became sharper.

"Ouch." he whimpered, one hand away from her and onto his lip.

He glanced up at her with hurt in his eyes, but she was relentless and rolled her eyes.

"Here," she took his jaw in her hands and guiding him forward, "let me kiss it better."

She opened her mouth again, drawing out a long and quiet kiss, tasting his lips and feeling his eyelashes on her cheek and his body fidget underneath her. She pulled away and held her forehead against his, smiling for the first time in what seemed like ages.

"I-I've never really done this before…" he stuttered, biting back his hurt lip and glancing away from her. She brushed the bangs from his eyes with a chuckle.

"What? Kiss a girl?" (which she knew wasn't true, they'd kissed before, but maybe she'd find out just who had the blessing of taking his **first** kiss.)

He waved his hands in front of him with a forced smirk.

"No, no, I mean… I've kissed a girl before." he was almost laughing.

Her finger rested on his chin, counting the freckles across his face with a brush on his cheeks.

"Oh yeah? Who?"

His hands were on her waist again. "Beautiful blonde girl." she felt something shift in her stomach. "I'd liked her since the first time I laid eyes on her." she moved on his lap, hands in their combined space now. "Blunt and dreary eyed."

She wanted to turn away.

"What was her name?" she asked quietly, assuming that the girl he was describing was a young love, a first. Of course she'd never had that, perhaps that's why when he spoke there was something different than anything that had ever been present in hers.

He laughed a little too loud and leaned forward, bringing her chest to his and clutching the small of her back with his fingers.

"Annie Leonhardt. And I'm madly in love with her."

She snickered and kissed him again, lightly on the lips, and then another on his cheek, and another on his nose. She just hoped he wasn't avoiding her question. Would he hide something as silly as first kisses away from her? He'd never asked about hers…

"Shut up." she fidgeted again and put her hands on his shoulders. "So what did you mean? What haven't you done before?" she asked quietly.

He swallowed, glancing at the space between them and then to her lips.

"T-this." his blinking was slowing.

She choked back roars of laughter and buried her face into his neck, coming back to face him with a muffled giggle. (she could hardly believe that such a noise could come from her mouth.) She placed her hands on his neck and she felt his muscles tighten and his lips quiver. (anticipation?)

"Well, do you like this?" she said in a slightly slurred tone, low and quiet just for him.

He nodded softly and her nose came close to brushing his. She almost laughed at the feeling of his eyelashes against her cheek again.

"Good, 'cause I'm not quite done with you yet, Armin."

* * *

They practically stumbled into the house. Annie couldn't stop blushing on the way in the car, and Armin's leg never stopped tapping against the floorboard. (again, she tried to figure out what he was thinking but that wasn't quite that easy. sure, she could read him like a book, but when his face was so red it was unrecognizable she didn't know what to do or say.)

He shut the door behind him, tossing the keys inside and feeling her tugging at his lips again. Her hands never left his face as they half-danced half-fell through the entrance and into the main room. She didn't look around a lot in the time she was moving but it was a small apartment, nothing fancy, a couch and a kitchen, a bedroom in the back. A bedroom in the back. A bedroom.

They somehow ended up tangled on the couch and he kept saying "ouch" every time she bit his lip but she couldn't help it. She was so nervous and eager and she'd never felt this eccentric in her life.

She wanted to cry when his freezing hands grazed the skin under her shirt and tugged up just barely, waiting for her to stop him. She let him go, scooting up underneath him and allowing him room to place a knee between her legs and another on the side. She was pulling, clawing at his shirt and body and she just wanted this_ damn space to close._

His hand went hesitantly upwards and when he got to her ribs he pulled back, and all she knew was what she could feel because her eyes were slammed shut and her lips almost never left his.

Annie was obviously making do with what she could, as she wasn't very experienced in any field they were encountering, and it was obvious that Armin wasn't either because his nose kept getting in the way and half the time his hands didn't know what to do so he settled with holding himself up.

Annie's leg found itself around him, her heel digging into his back and there was a sudden yelp, and Annie felt her side hit something hard. She opened her eyes and gasped for air, propping herself up and looked around. Armin was laying next to her, flat on his back with a winded look with his legs intertwined with hers and his hand somehow underneath her.

They were on the floor. She'd put them on the floor.

She rolled onto her stomach and started to laugh. Laugh like she'd never laughed before. So much so that she was sobbing into the dirty carpet and her entire body was shaking.

Annie felt Armin sit up and place his back against the couch, hand on her calf and his own body moving with laughter.

She sat up, wiping her eyes and scooting around so she sat next to him, hand in hand and lungs fighting to keep the air they so desperately needed.

"I'm really, really, really not ready for that." he said, his voice almost serious. She kept on wiping her eyes and she nodded.

"No, God, no we're not doing that ever again." she said, opening her wet eyes and looking at him. He was already gazing in her direction.

"Ever?"

She laughed again. "You'll have to marry me first." she joked. (half-joked.)

He smiled, reaching forward slowly and pushing her hair behind her ear. "Sometimes I hate you for being so beautiful."

She almost flinched. "That wasn't a very good proposal, Mr. Arlert." she whispered.

"So you'd marry me, then?" he asked with a wide smile and drooping eyes.

She shrugged, looking at the wall in front of them. "I'll think about it."

"What do you want to do now?" he asked softly, trying to conceal the laughter that was building up.

"Not. That." she said forcefully, standing and dragging him up with her. She noticed how wrinkled her shirt was and she rushed to fix it. "How about we just…" she stopped and he shrugged in front of her.

"Let's go play soccer."

He smiled. "Sounds great."


	11. Chapter Eleven

**A/N: I'm sorry in advance this was written poorly but it's still painful. **

* * *

She kept trying to remind herself of what he told her as her first practice back became progressively worse.

Of course the other young women stared at the bruises on her shoulder and legs, but it wasn't like Ymir hadn't come to practice with hickeys before, or Sasha hadn't shown up with bandaids all over her legs from shaving for the first time in nearly a year. Why did they have to question everything she'd done? Had she casted herself so far outwards that they'd judge her from a simple injury?

_"So you're a lone wolf?"_

_"That's what they say, yeah." _

_"I guess I can see it." _

_"I'm a rogue. If you want to associate yourself with me you'll have to be an omega, but no one likes that." _

_[laughs] "I think I'm too far gone to even consider leaving you." _

She glanced down, feeling the drizzle of rain begin to descend on her shoulders and cheeks.

They were having a practice game (since it was the off-season after all) and she was on the sidelines. The newest member of the team was looking a lot more tired than she should have been so Annie predicted she'd be sent in in a few moments. Her heart was already racing, ready to play.

The young woman nodded to Annie and began to jog towards her, tagging her shoulder and letting Annie rush onto the field, taking her place by the center on the side and pressing her palms to her knees. The goalie was struggling with the ball and Annie took her chance to level her breathing. That is, until someone strode up next to her and stood with her hands on her waist.

Annie breathed in.

_"So what does she mean to you?"_

_"Who?" _

_"Mikasa." _

_"Nothing more than a friend... are you jealous?" _

_"No." _

_"...?" _

_"What?" _

_"You seem... tense." _

_"Mikasa's a terror." _

_"Well she's my friend, okay?" _

_"Just snap at me then," _

_"That's not what I meant-" _

_"I don't really care-" _

_"Annie. She's basically saved my life on several occasions. Eren never wanted to talk about the serious stuff... She was the only one who ever listened when I was upset about my parents. She's the only one who ever cared." _

_"... I care." _

_"I know that now." _

_"Do you want to talk about your parents?" _

_"Not particularly. You?" _

_"No." _

_"..." _

_"I'm sorry, Armin." _

_"Without her, I wouldn't be alive and standing in front of you." _

_"Then I should thank her?" _

_"No." _

_Yes. _

Annie ignored her.

"So Annie. I hear you're going out with Arlert."

The blonde kept her game face on, eyes alluding the other star player easily. Practiced precision.

_Don't be jealous. Don't be afraid. Don't be angry. _

Mikasa seemed to become more frustrated than ever, and Annie could tell. She usually found pleasure in this type of thing. Making Mikasa angry at her. Making her squirm. If only she could tell her what she and Armin could have done yesterday...

_No, Annie, that's spiteful. She's helped him before. Just stay quiet. _

"I know you hate me," the brunette huffed, standing and crossing her arms, "but you're really going to hate me if you even think about hurting him." Annie swallowed. How come she was so defensive? She cursed herself for the jealousy in her belly. She was quiet. "I will rip that blonde hair from your scalp and make you regret the day you were born."

_You can't make me do that more than I already do. _

Mikasa's eyes were wide and furious, her fingers tapping the sides of her arms, desperately trying to find some satisfaction in the silence that Annie was giving her. The goalie at the other end had given up and the ball was being tossed between the teams at the goal.

Annie's heart was racing even faster.

"Where'd you get that bruise?" her voice was filled with boredom and disdain.

Annie sighed and stood up to mirror the other girl. Her eyes stayed at the other end of the field, though. Mikasa was unsettled and leaned in closer. Annie could feel her movements, sense her position, shivering with anger. Her hands were at her chest, defending the comment she hoped would not breach the confines of the other's mind.

Mikasa scoffed, a sudden smile on her face. A sick smile.

"What? Did little Annie make her daddy mad again?"

With a sickening crack, Annie's foot had made contact with Mikasa's skull, (release) and in a slow movement the brunette had fallen to the ground with a bleeding temple.

Annie's body went into overdrive, her arms shielding her face (although there was no need) and her legs straight and tight as they swung heavily into Mikasa's side over and over and over again.

The girl on the ground was disoriented, eyes swollen with pain and hands clawing at Annie's powerful legs. Before Annie knew it there were arms pulling her by her shoulders and hands ripping at her shirt to tear her backwards and regardless of her constraints she kept on fighting, flailing, kicking, screaming, (crying)...

Everything was dull after that, and the only thing that she really saw was the livid face of Armin Arlert who cradled his injured friend and gritted his teeth at the girl he loved.

_When did you start looking at me with those eyes?_ she wondered, deafening screams and hollers filling her ears.

She went limp.

_Was it the day I told you what I'd done to your friend? _

_Was it the day I'd admitted to liking the feeling of injuring someone?_

_Was it the day I kissed you so hard you cried out? _

She whimpered.

No.

Today it was different.

_"You aren't a bad person Annie." _

_"I promise you I am." _

_"I'll never believe that." _

_"You just see the good in me... if there is any." _

_"Of course there is." _

_"Hmm." _

_"What?" _

_"I..." _

_"..." _

_"I'm glad I can be a good person to you, Armin." _

_I'm so very glad. _

She was torn from the field and into the locker room, shoved into the lockers and screamed at. Ymir's eyes were red and Sasha stood by in the background with fury in her hands, ready to slam herself into the shaking blonde if need be.

She could barely hear what was being said but she caught the words, "whore" and "bitch" flying from the taller girl's mouth.

Rain soaked and shattered she picked herself up and felt her back crack as she was shoved into the lockers again.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING?"

Annie slid to the floor before hearing the door fly open and her coach come soaring in. Ymir's head was being held under the cold tap as the coach yelled and pointed. Everything was beginning to blur and Sasha went at her.

How long had they been holding it back?

Annie didn't put up a fight and went headfirst into the bench, screaming more than she ever had in her life.

There was blood in her eyes.

She was dizzy.

(not even close to) Soon enough she was curled up in the chair in her coach's office, knees tightly pulled into her chest and gauze across her wound.

The other woman was hastily trying to console other parents outside. Annie felt amusement in her stomach. But maybe it was jealously. Parents who cared? She scoffed.

Had she hated them all like she hated Mikasa... no. She shouldn't think that way.

It was too quiet when the coach walked in and Annie's eyes closed before the woman even sat.

"You should be ashamed of yourself."

_I am. _

"Mikasa is in the emergency room for what you did to her."

_I know. I know what I did. _

"She has two broken ribs and a serious concussion. Who taught you that that was okay?"

_My father. _

"You'll be kicked off the team for the rest of the year and you won't be allowed to play again."

Annie flinched.

"No."

"Excuse me?" the coach said with a shrill tone of voice.

Annie stood, her hands shaking and eyes burning against the sudden emotion inside.

"No! I can't get into college without-"

"Then maybe you should have thought about that before going insane on the field-"

Annie dove down, curling into a ball on the floor, and she screamed into her legs, loud enough for heads to turn down the hall. Loud enough for her coach to tear up and back away. Loud enough so that the thoughts in her head (mostly about if Armin would ever forgive her) would quiet against the storm.

She sat for a moment. And she **laughed**.

She was escorted off the premises, and her father was called three times before he answered. She stood outside the school zone and waited. Waited for the crying to begin. It never came. And neither did her father.

She walked home, no, she limped home. She hadn't noticed the pain until the moment she tripped off the curb. She fell against her nose and choked back sobs. Add it to the list of broken things.

Skin.

Foot.

**Heart**.

Annie counted the number of catcalls she received as it began to grow dark.

One by the gas station.

Another by the hospital. (no, she didn't go to see if he was outside, calling her, asking her if she was okay. maybe she did.)

Two more before she arrived at her doorstep. Her fingers were shaking when she found the door unlocked and she walked in.

He was looming in her bedroom door. Her things were scattered along the floor.

She sighed.

It was almost midnight before she screamed for the last time that day.


	12. Chapter Twelve

She didn't know why it took her so long to pick herself up off the floor.

Her father had left in the night with a beer in his hands as she silently prayed from under her bed that he'd die in an accident.

She knew she wouldn't be so lucky.

When the sun rose she blinked away the red-faced agony and crawled upwards onto her splayed feet.

Annie promptly emptied her school bag, and began to stuff it with underwear and tee-shirts, a few notebooks she needed and her phone charger. She zipped it up and held her breath.

_Where am I going?_ seemed to be heavy on her mind but she kept moving and in several minutes she found herself closing the door and walking alongside the road. She walked for what seemed like hours, numb, tired, hurting.

When she arrived at the door she bit her lips, tasting cracked and empty spaces. She tasted the blood that had been beaten out of her. The sorrow she'd never let anyone see. The taste of his lips…

What had she done to deserve this?

**Everything**.

She rang the doorbell and waited. A short, stout blonde woman answered. Reiner's mother was not a beautiful woman, her face was always scrunched like she was going to scream, but upon seeing the bruised Annie at her doorstep, a softness crept over her as she showed her inside and led her to the back room.

A pair of boys were sitting on a couch, playing some sort of video game when she stumbled in. She couldn't utter a word before the taller one was on her, hugging her tightly and soon carrying her into the main living room. She tried not to fight back, her hands flexing at her chest.

"Bertholdt—"

"Shut up Annie." his voice wavered but he sat her down and rushed into the bathroom. Reiner entered with crossed arms and a frown.

"I think I should beat the shit out of him." the blonde boy huffed.

Annie stared blankly ahead. Bertholdt came in soon after with gauze and sat at her feet, holding her ankle with one hand as he worked the bandages around it with the other.

"Annie we need to do something about this." Bertholdt's tone was soft and caring, like the other times he'd done this same thing. Reiner, on the other hand, was always stiff and blunt, but their balance somehow attracted her when she was younger.

Now it was just irritating. So much so that she felt her face get cold and her eyes start to water.

She swallowed, her stomach churning, "I just need to use the bathroom." she uttered, standing up and startling Bertholdt who still sat on the floor. She hobbled inside the bathroom and turned to them, nodding in appreciation and closing the door behind her.

Annie slid in between the tub and the toilet, back against the wall, and slowly took out her cell phone and checked her messages.

Annie. Call me now.

Annie.

She closed her eyes and let her head sit back on the wall. She clicked "call" and lifted the phone to her ear. The ringing nearly drove her insane.

Finally there was a hitch at the other end and she waited.

"Annie…"

She didn't answer, her hands beginning to shake in agony.

"Annie you _have_ to tell me what's going on."

"I'm sorry." she whispered, hardly able to even think his name without her hands tensing, her eyes still closed against her cheeks.

She heard a rustling and then an angry sigh. She wanted him to hold her and tell her it was going to be okay, that things would be fine and he forgave her.

"What did you do, Annie?"

"Is she hurt?" she whispered again, hearing Reiner and Bertholdt arguing outside the door. Her knees rose and she curled herself into a ball, waiting for the answer.

"Of course she's hurt!" he almost screamed, "You broke her ribs and she's in the hospital! Jesus, Eren's been yelling for hours and I've never seen Christa cry so much before in my life—"

"I'm sorry." Annie choked out, her hand over her eyes and her body shaking.

"You should apologize to Mikasa, she's the one—"

"No." Annie replied sternly.

Armin inhaled on the other end and Annie cringed. "You kicked—"

"Armin," her voice was almost a wail, "Armin she—she—"

"Why did you do this?" he called out, his voice so loud it crackled in the speaker. She buried her face in her knees. How could she tell him?

"I'm sorry."

"Annie, what's wrong?"

She huffed and stood up, an angry cry coming from her throat as she held the phone in her shaking hands.

"Where are you?" he asked again, somehow pleading with her. Why did he care? Hadn't he shown her where his true loyalties lied when he walked off that field?

But she hadn't given him much of a choice. What was she thinking?

"Please don't be upset with me." she whimpered, turning her phone off mid-call and stepping out of the bathroom with a determined look in her eyes. The pain in her foot was subsiding and was soon replaced with an ache in her heart. She was used to it now. She wiped her face and stared at the two boys in front of her who were eerily quiet.

"Who was that?" Reiner grunted. Bertholdt glanced at him nervously.

"None of your business." she retorted, limping over to the couch and giving a half smile to Bertholdt. "Do you think your mom would care if I crashed here for a week or so?"

Reiner glanced between Bertholdt and Annie.

"I don't see why not."

There was a silence and Annie plopped down onto the couch, laying on her side and tucking her hands under her head.

"Thanks." she huffed.

Reiner nodded and Bertholdt mirrored him. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?" the taller boy said with a smile, ushering Reiner from the room. She heard them talking in the next room.

"We have to call somebody."

"I'm not calling anyone—"

"She needs help, Reiner."

"She doesn't talk to us for months and now she expects us to help her—"

"Reiner."

"Bert."

"You're not being fair."

Silence.

Annie sighed and curled up into a ball of misery on the small couch. She let her eyes flutter closed, images of Armin's angered face behind her eye lids, and she began to cry.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Her phone had remained off for an entire seven days. She didn't move much from the couch, only to stretch, go to the bathroom, change, and occasionally eat something from the back of the pantry. She didn't attend school. She didn't go out of the house.

She heard her father's voice screaming one day when Reiner's mother picked up the phone, but the older woman promptly told him she hadn't seen Annie anywhere, and when she and Annie met in the hallway that night, Annie slid her arms around the woman and held on for several long minutes.

The next Saturday night Annie rose from her place on the couch, leaving a dent in the cloth, and walked into Reiner's room, finding him sliding on a jacket and Bertholdt sitting in the corner with a dark shirt and pants on.

"Where are you going?" she asked quietly. The both of them seemed startled.

"Party. Why?" Reiner asked with a quirked brow. Annie narrowed her eyes, stepping into the room and opening his closet. Reiner opened his mouth to object, but he stayed quiet when she pulled out one of his tanks and slid it over her shirt.

"I'm coming with you." she said quietly, pulling her arms in both of the shirts and removing the one underneath, revealing the sides of her bra and her collar area. She walked to the mirror beside his bed and ran her finger through her hair, glancing to Bertholdt and Reiner who seemed astonished at what they were seeing.

"Shut up. I'm getting in the car, so hurry." she said nonchalantly, tossing her old shirt on the couch on her way out the door.

She climbed into the unlocked back of Reiner's truck and within three minutes the two boys were following her lead, Reiner in the driver's seat and Bertholdt nervously in the passenger.

"Annie, you don't have to—"

"I need to get out, okay." she replied in her defense. "I need to make sure the rest of the world knows I'm not weak." her voice trailed off. "I'm not weak. I can handle myself."

Reiner seemed to find this answer adequate and he nodded, starting the car and taking off down the road. The entire way there, Annie's stomach was twisting itself into knots. She held onto her body and when they arrived the loud music and the smell of smoke only made it worse.

She stepped out of the truck and followed them in, seeing several people she knew and feeling them cringe at the sight of her. She frowned and sat down on the stairs. She wondered where they were but decided not to ask, seeing several people smoking and at least four different couples making use of any hard surface to press themselves against. She buried her face in her hands.

"Hey babe." She glanced up with flared nostrils and furrowed brows and the drunk teenaged boy above her stumbled off when he got the message. She stood, stretching her arms and glancing around to find the two she came with.

Her eyes met them on a couch and she sat on the end beside Reiner, who immediately wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She shot him a glare but the red in his eyes alerted her to the fact that he was not completely sober.

Bertholdt looked at her apologetically, his face filled with worry and anxiety. She rolled her eyes and nudged Reiner's side, noticing the music becoming progressively louder and the peoples' dancing becoming progressively more violent.

Annie looked around and when her face turned back to Reiner there was something soon pressed against her.

Before she knew it Reiner was kissing her and her eyes were wide open, hands shifting not knowing what to do. After a moment and a realization of what was happening she shoved him away, standing and nearly tripping, hearing Bertholdt reprimanding him through the music. She wiped her lips in disgust and bolted from the room, her eyes only set for the exit but a small group of boys stood in her way and when her eyes moved upwards to meet the tall and lanky Jean-the-one-with-a-crush-on-Mikasa's she felt her stomach flip.

He grabbed her arm and she glanced around frantically, spotting only a concerned Marco (who happened to be in her third block math class) and none other than Eren. She almost laughed at the anger in his eyes. He shoved her out the door and beside the house and she stumbled forward, bracing herself against the wall.

"Jean!" Marco called angrily.

The taller boy shot him a glance and stared back at Annie but Eren spoke first.

"What the hell were you trying to pull with Mikasa—"

"Why did you bring me out here?" she asked with heavy words. They all stood very still. Eren moved towards her, bringing his fist closer to her than before.

"Because you hurt my best friends…and I'm not letting you get away with something like that." Annie scoffed and Eren almost lunged at her. Jean was next to speak.

"Tell us what happened. I knew you were a bitch but I didn't think you'd just go off and hit Ackerman like that without reason."

Eren glanced at Jean with accusation.

Annie's heart began to race like never before, her eyes adjusting to the dark air and the faded sky. She looked down, letting her hair hand in her face.

"My actions are my own, let me—"

"Tell me!" Eren yelled, rushing forward and pushing her back against the wall. Marco immidiately rushed to him to pull him away after but Jean had already done that job.

"Annie." his tone was softer now. She looked up at him, fingernails digging into her palms, deep enough to leave marks.

"Mikasa and I never liked each other. She's always been mad at me for beating up Eren when we were kids. I was always jealous of her skill even though I'm so much better than her," she paused and out of the corner of her eye she saw Eren flinch, "she ticked me off an extra lot that day and I snapped."

They stood in silence. Annie hoped she'd been convincing enough.

"You really hurt Armin." Eren whispered. She closed her eyes and nodded. "He thinks you were jealous of them… no, he doesn't know what to think. He wants to know why you did this but…" he trailed off.

Annie was aware of Jean moving closer and closer to her.

"Annie that can't be why… you sent her to the hospital—"

"That's exactly why!" she screamed, startling everyone around her. Jean reached forward and grabbed her hand, something she hadn't suspected, and when she tried to back away she hit the wall and wavered on her unbalanced feet. She looked on with terror has he pulled her arm closer to his eyes and counted the bruises on her skin. Annie whipped her arm away and pushed him back.

He stood, stunned and then glanced between Eren and Marco.

"It's true." he said under his breath. She felt her body begin to shake. Jean continued. "In the hospital… Mikasa mentioned something about… bruises…" Annie swallowed as the clouds seemed to part in front of the boys' eyes.

"What did she say, Annie?" Eren said through his teeth, eyes now soft and worried. Annie just shook her head, her entire body ready to explode in a ball of fury and sadness. Marco finally walked towards her, hand on her shoulder and the other offered to her open palmed.

"Annie, what did Mikasa say about you?" he asked in a gentle voice.

"I want Armin." Annie whispered as sobs broke her posture and a tearless cry began to come through.

The group around her softened.

She nearly fell to her knees, but instead she wiped Marco off her shoulder and began to walk to the front of the house. When they were out of earshot she said again, "I want Armin."

There was a voice behind her. "Annie!"

She didn't turn. Bertholdt's hand was soon on her and she whipped around, slapping his arm and glaring up at him. Her lips quivered in emotional and her fists were tight at her sides. Reiner was beside him, guilt written across his face.

"Annie I'm sorry," he began, but he didn't finish.

"I'm sorry, Bertholdt," Annie said quietly, "I wish things were different, but there's no room for a puzzle piece that does not fit."

He swallowed. They all three knew what that meant. Annie had changed from this. Annie was no longer apart of the trio.

She turned away from him. "I'm sorry, both of you." she said loud enough for them to hear. Bertholdt was crying, she could tell, but regardless she stepped forward and ran onto the sidewalk, ignored her ankle pain and walking onwards towards Reiner's house.

She knew what she'd do.

Pack her things.

Go to Armin's. Tell him everything. Apologize.

There were headlight coming towards her. She stopped walking. They kept growing closer and closer and the car veered towards her. Annie's eyes widened, her chest pounding as the car screeched to a halt, her eyes closed for a broken moment, silent and fearful.

Would it be irony if she died now?

She opened her eyes only to be blinded by the bright light of a car and the feeling of a rough hand on her arm.

"Dammit Annie you're hard to find."

Her heart sunk to her feet and tears spilled out onto her reddened cheeks.

"Dad, please let go of me."


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Annie's heart was pounding against her ribs, and she dug her toes into the earth as the hand on her skin grasped tighter. Her eyes were squinted and flooded under the heavy car headlights and the only thing keeping her from disintegrating into the night air was the freezing and stiff air.

She yelped in pain as he yanked her forward and she knew the pain that was coming with the swing of his arm.

But she was left alone in the cold and her eyes flew open when the hand on her arm disappeared. The headlights were off, revealing a small group of people around her, her father standing directly in front of her staring around her. She whipped around, knocking into a person behind her and squirming out of their arms.

"Annie!" she heard, closing her eyes and thrashing around. "Annie stop!"

She paused, feeling dizzy from the escaping tears and the violent motion. She teetered on her feet and glared at the boy behind her.

"Oh my God.." she whispered, pulling her hands to her mouth and then turning around, seeing Ymir, Jean, Marco, Eren, and Bertholdt all standing around her, and last but not least, Armin was at her back, rubbing between her shoulder blades with heavy breath and furrowed brows. She bit her tongue and turned around, watching as Ymir stepped up to her father, eye to eye and frowned.

"Your daughter's a bitch but I swear to God if you touch her again I'll tear you apart." she growled, "I've dealt with this kind of bullshit before... and no one deserves to get hurt by the person that's supposed to love them."

Annie backed into Armin's chest, letting him put his hands on her arms and hold her close to him.

Jean and Marco stepped closer to her father, Marco sweating like crazy but looking less scared than Jean was.

"We already called the police... if you touch her again we'll all be witnesses." Jean said with a shaky voice. Eren crossed his arms behind the two of them.

"Do you want that, Mr. Leonhardt?" the short brunette asked. Annie's eyes shifted quickly from person to person, watching them all crowd around her.

The bitter and sunken eyes in her father's face widened, showing the red smudges of drunkenness and the shock that someone actually cared for his daughter. Annie bent over in Armin's arms, her entire body shaking.

The man stepped back, nearly tripping over his own feet before clambering into the truck, starting it and shining the lights back into Annie's eyes. Armin stumbled back and carried Annie with him, and they stood in the dark long enough to see the enraged glance that came in the form of dagger eyes from her father, and the far pulled from the side of the road and into the street.

Annie let out a horrified scream towards the ground, Armin holding tightly to her abdomen. Her breath escaped her all at once and when she rose again all eyes were on her, wide and scared.

She turned to face Armin, a thousand questions in her mind as to why he was standing before her, why he was holding her, why this was all taking place, but she quietly dug her face into his neck and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you, thank you," she whispered through her cries, feeling him hugging her tightly again. He was silent and when she finally pulled herself away she gave each person in front of her an apologetic look until she came face to face with Bertholdt. He smiled weakly and reached towards her, opening his arms and letting her fold herself into his arms.

"I'm sorry I wasn't brave enough to do this before-"

"No, Bertholdt, don't do that." she whispered into him, only for him to hear, "you were very brave." she told him, pulling away and standing at the center of the small group.

Eren looked away from her and nodded to Jean, who in turn tapped Marco's shoulder and nodded in the other direction.

"I think we should go," Marco said softly and Annie nodded, "the police will be here soon so we'll need to tell them what we saw,"

Annie glanced in a panic between Armin and the others.

"You don't have to talk to them until you're ready, Annie," Armin's gentle voice said to her, "but for now at least allow Marco and Bertholdt to tell them what they know."

She hesitated, her heart still pounding in her chest, so hard she could hear the thrumming in her ears. Annie nodded in the end, and allowed Armin to take her hand and lead her from the area, but before she could move Ymir grabbed her and turned her around.

Annie was slightly surprised and shrunk beneath the taller girl.

"Listen, Annie, I'm sorry for hurting you but what you did was pretty messed up," she said, crossing her arms, "I just wish I knew what you were dealing with... I shouldn't have done it anyways, that's the point. Sasha's in bed sick but she's been blubbering about it all week long and we've been pretty guilty about it. I didn't know," Ymir finally admitted, "and I'm sorry."

She gave the blonde a smile and shrugged. "That doesn't take the pain away but I hope you can come back to soccer soon. We kind of need a leader."

Annie swallowed and nodded slowly, then taking Ymir's hand and squeezing it softly before letting it go and following Armin, shooting a last glance to Eren and the others with a, "Thank you so much," before leaving.

They sat in the car together, and he let her cry for a long long time before asking any questions. It took an hour but by then Annie's tears had all fallen. Armin himself had started to cry at one point but they left each other alone until they were ready.

He drove her to his house and her stomach was already churning and being in the familiar place made her even more upset. He opened the door for her after parking, pulling her out and slipping off his jacket to let her wear it before they entered. He unlocked the door and closed it behind her, ushering her into the house and into his bedroom, letting her sit with a red face from more than just the cold. He stood in the door, leaning on the frame and waiting for her to start to speak. She sat at the edge of the bed, her hands between her knees and the sleeves of his jacket slightly too big on her.

She closed her eyes and sighed.

"When I was six years old my mother died," she began, her shoulders rising with every word but her eyes sticking to the floor, "after that my dad was never the same. Always an alcoholic. Always pushy. He just got worse as I got more secluded. It was a cycle. He kept hurting me and I kept... pushing people away. Bertholdt and Reiner always knew but they couldn't do anything about it. Dad always threatened them when I finally got home." she let it spill from her lips like a confession, and it kept going before she could stop it, "And he always apologizes like it's okay... like everything can go back to when mom was around and he always wants me to believe in him and he tells me how good I am but then he goes and hurts me... he dumps me under my bed and leaves every time and I may seem stoic on the outside but there's nothing that tears me apart more than the sound of someone walking away."

She buried her face into her hands, choking back a sob, "and that day... that day he'd really..." she breathed in, "and Mikasa just... she saw right through me..." she finally dragged her eyes up to him, "and she asked me... she asked me if I'd upset him and I just," she bit her lip, "I wanted to get him back and she was standing there, looking at me with those eyes," she looked down again and closed her eyes, "and I'm so, so sorry."

There was a hand on her back and when she looked up there was a smile waiting for her, her entire body shifting as he moved from the room, out into the house and disappeared from view. She waited for a moment, seeing all the lights in the house turning off and when he finally got to his room, holding a huge pile of blankets and pillows, he flicked the lights off as well, sending Annie's nerves into overdrive. She saw him smile and snicker from him as he asked her to scoot over.

She kicked off her shoes and scooted over, watching him throw all the materials onto the bed and scoot in next to her.

They laid face to face for a while, and Annie closed her eyes when they were both finally warm.

"I'm so sorry, Annie." he whispered.

"It's okay."

He shifted closer. "There's nothing I can say to tell you how much I regret what I did."  
She bit her lip and opened her eyes again, feeling sleep dragging her down, dried tears and all. "I let you down, I should have known,"

She blinked, watching his face tighten in emotion, feeling her skin tingle and eyes water once more.

"You didn't know-"

"I should have. I knew you wouldn't do something like that unless something was wrong," he said, laying his hand between them and letting her place hers in his palm. His fingers traced the marks on her hands. "I just thought you were angry with me and took it out on her," he confessed, "I didn't think something would be going on... I wasn't thinking... I don't know..." he trailed off.

She mumbled into the mattress, "That may have been the first time ever."

He quirked a brow.

"You're always thinking." she whispered.

He chuckled and pulled the blankets up and over their faces and let them sit together in the darkness. They were silent for a very long time.

"I forgive you, Armin." she whispered to him.

"Thank you."

In a moment he was wrapped around her, his body shivering at the sound of her breath against him.

"I should have known, Annie."

"Don't blame yourself, Armin."

"What else can I do?"

"Hold me, Armin."

"I'm sorry."

They held on so tightly their fingers began to go numb.

"I love you, Armin."

They kissed under the covers through the foggy air of Armin's apologies and with the smell of salt and smiles they fell asleep together and Annie knew for sure that he loved her back.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Annie woke to the sound a beating drum. Her eyes opened quietly, like the rest of her, and the stillness in her muscles caused her to move slowly at first and then build up strength. When she realized where she was, she laid very still.

She laid on her side with her face in Armin's chest, her hands still between their chests and one leg in between his. Her eyes widened as she quickly removed herself from the position and sat up in the bed, watching Armin shift and sniffle, eyes fluttering open under the fan of his hair.

He yawned and the foggy look in his eyes quickly sharpened when he caught site of her tired face. His face burned red and he stretched, trying to hide his embarrassment. He reached and grabbed her hand, and she tried to refrain from smiling when he sat up and rubbed his face.

She stood and stretched, watching him checking his phone over her shoulder, and then stepping through the apartment quietly, noticing how cold it was under her toes.

"Hey, Annie, I think we should go down to the field." he said through the walls. She nodded without a word and turned to see him leaning in the doorway.

"Okay." she whispered, jamming her hands in her sweater pocket and blinking away any last traces of sleep. "Can I shower first?" she asked quietly and he nodded. She made her way into the bathroom, finding everything she needed and trying not to laugh at his soaps and colognes and shaving cream that had obviously not been used in some time, maybe even not at all.

She gave him a gentle smile before closing the door and walking into the bathroom, undressing and undoing her hair, running her fingers through it and looking into the mirror. She saw fading scars and fading bruises that had gone brown from age and little nail marks from the hugs she received and when she looked down she saw the swollen ankle and she realized how much the pain had dulled.

With a deep breath she turned on the water and stepped inside, using his shampoo and using a washcloth to make every inch of her body fresh again. She thought it would be nice to smell like him.

And after fifteen minutes she was feeling better than she ever had, and she dressed again, taking in all the smells of the bathroom, and put a comb through her hair, his comb, before stepping out of the bathroom and finding a fully dressed Armin in the kitchen, stuffing bread in his mouth before he looked over to her. He shrugged and offered her some but she smiled and declined, waiting patiently on the couch, her body itching to go as the thoughts of betterment running through her mind.

He led her outside the door after a few minutes and then opened the car door for her. She slid inside, familiar with the interior and buckled up, glancing herself over in the rearview before watching him get inside.

"Who's going to be at the field?"

Armin shrugged, a half smile on his lips. "Someone who wants to see you."

Annie sat back and closed her eyes. It wouldn't be her father, it wouldn't be the people from last night, it wouldn't be…

She drifted in and out of sleep while they were on their way, and when they arrived she'd already figured out exactly who would be there.

She stepped out of the car on her own and limped onto the grass, seeing Mikasa Ackerman and Eren Jaeger standing there, both wearing hoodies and jeans, but this time Mikasa didn't wear a scowl of anger, she had a smile of relief. When Annie came close enough Mikasa hobbled closer and folded her arms around the blonde tightly, holding her tightly.

Annie was stunned for a moment, but after prompting from Armin she returned the hug with gently hands, and Mikasa pulled away, taking Annie's hand.

"I'm sorry, Annie," she said softly, her eyes serious, "I shouldn't have said those things… I didn't know if the rumors were true, and I was so, so angry that day… I shouldn't have taken it out on you—"

"No." Annie interrupted her softly. Mikasa's eyes grew wide and confused.

"What?"

"No, Ackerman," she said in a dull tone, seeing both boys' eyes go wide and panicked, "it's not your fault. It's mine."

They all stood for a moment, and then Mikasa let Annie's hand fall. Annie nodded and looked to Armin, satisfied with the accomplishment, and he took this as a queue to leave. Annie turned to walk away after Armin said a few soft words to the other two, hugged them, and then ran after her.

"Annie!" The blonde turned to see Eren calling her name. He looked nervous but he spoke anyways, "Take care of my brother," he said, a smirk then crossing over him, "and I'll see you on the field in a few weeks, alright?"

She nodded, hope in her eyes and her chest feeling lighter than before.

"And if you need a wrestling partner," he called, "I've gotten a hell of a lot better."

She almost laughed, and instead nodded, taking Armin's hand and pulling him away.

When she reached the car she sat in silence, then turning to him.

"There's one more place we have to go."

He nodded, understanding, and began to drive.

When they arrived she began to shiver. He held onto her knee until she calmed down and looked at him with heavy eyes.

"You're going to be okay."

"I know."

"I promise."

"Walk with me, please." she whispered. He nodded, determined, and took her hand when they got out of the car.

The entered the building and went to the front desk, asking the man behind the papers to speak to an officer about domestic abuse, and with a seemingly calm look he introduced the two of them to a young woman in a uniform. She smiled quietly and Armin let go of Annie's hand. She panicked as she was led into a small office, and once inside she shot Armin a distressed look. He nodded, trying to send her strength, and she settled into the chair and began to talk.

It was all a blur, every line and every word. She just repeated what she'd told Armin, what she'd rehearsed in her head for years. She showed the woman the scars on her arms and legs and told her if she went to the house now where each piece of furniture would lie and where the gun was and the last time her father saw her and what happened at the party and everything she could possible confess she got off her chest, and the woman didn't quiet understand it all but she wrote what she could, and promised an investigation.

The woman asked Annie how old she was, and told her to find a new place to stay for a few weeks until they could make an arrest. Annie nodded but didn't return the smile, thanking the woman and returning to Armin's arms as quickly as she'd let go.

They left and as soon as Annie stepped into the parking lot, she began to cry.

When they got to his house, her new home, they made out the couch, put her things in the kitchen, and counted the days until they could leave.

She promised to return to school the next week, or maybe the next week after, and promised to stay there as long as she could. She promised to tell the truth from now on, and promised to study her math and science and literature and everything. And she promised to love him until the day they parted, the day she'd hopefully leave the small town for good.

He sat next to her on the couch, crossing his legs and sighing, letting her place her head on his shoulder and wrap her arms around his middle.

"Armin."

"Yes?"

"Don't leave me."

"I won't."

"Promise me you won't hurt me."

"I promise."

"Do you love me?"

He looked down on her with eyes of sea foam and adoration for nothing but her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"I'm so proud of you," he whispered in her ear, and she could smell the tears rolling down his face, "and I promise that I will love you until the day I die."

She huffed in laughter into his shoulder and squeezed him tightly.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he responded, hand in the hair at the back of her neck, kissing her cheek and releasing her, "you shouldn't be." he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I forgive you, I forgive you for anything you've ever done or did and will do and no matter what I'm here."

His fingers brushed the left side of her chest, causing her to shiver. "You're a good person, Annie."

She smiled, "I'm glad I could be a good person for you."

"I'd do anything for you," he breathed, kissing her once and pulling away with soggy eyes, "anything."

"Just don't be late next time," she said through a smirk, "okay?"

He laughed and hugged her again, as if he'd never let go, as if they'd be locked together through the perpetual cycle of pain and love, and when he finally let go she could feel their hearts beating together, racing until the smile on her face settled into a calm reflection in Armin's eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

**A/N: Hello readers! Thank you so much for your continued support and interest in this fic. I know it was rushed in the end, but I was set on completing this quickly, and I'm sorry if it didn't end as well as you wanted or if it was too fast, but I will not be re-writing or editing at this point.**

**Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, following, etc. Expect more Aruani and fanfictions from me this winter and summer. I'll be back!**

**Again, thanks so much, this was a blast, have a wonderful day! :)**


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